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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28949949">Five Minutes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_abb/pseuds/delta_abb'>delta_abb</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, More tags to be added, Mutual Pining, Past Violence, Slow Burn, Violence, andrew and renee are too, no beta we die like men, renee and neil are friends, this is my first time posting im so sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:08:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28949949</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_abb/pseuds/delta_abb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Renee constantly drags Neil out to places with her. Most of the time, it is uneventful. But when Renee brings him to the gym this time, he meets someone unusual.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Gym</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! Okay so this is my first time posting my writing anywhere, so I'm sorry if this is weird. Anyways please let me know how you like this in the comments! Thank you for reading. &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come on, Neil. You promised me that you’d let me drag you along. Just this once?”</p><p> </p><p>	The boy let out a long sigh, making sure that it was audible to the girl on the other side of the phone. “No, Renee. Listen, I did remember and I’m ready but I just- I don’t know if that many people would be comfortable for me.”</p><p> </p><p>	Renee. Neil’s best friend since his junior year of college. He had transferred to Palmetto for his final two years since his past school in West Virginia with the Ravens. The sweetheart Renee was in some of his classes and forced him to hang out until they eventually formed a bond. It worked.</p><p> </p><p>	“Well then, it’s your lucky day since the gym is closed to everyone today unless they have a special appointment,” she said with a small giggle. “Neil, please. Tag along for me, I’m gonna be bored during my breaks.”</p><p> </p><p>	Neil let out a small huff of air then began to smile. “Fine, yeah. I’ll go. But this is only because, like, nobody will be there.”</p><p> </p><p>	“Yes! Okay, well I’ve been sitting outside your place for five minutes now. Hurry up.”</p><p> </p><p>	The drive was only about ten minutes from Neil’s apartment complex, so it went by quickly. Renee had two coffees in the cupholder and offered one to Neil, which he drank gratefully. The duo sang along softly to the songs on the radio until they reached their location.</p><p> </p><p>	Stepping out into the chilly air of winter turning to spring, Neil pulled his thin jacket tighter around himself and looked up at the large sign that read Boyd Fitness Center. He’s been here a couple times before, but it was when barely anyone was inside.</p><p> </p><p>	Renee motioned for him to follow her in, and she held the door open for him then followed into the warm building.</p><p> </p><p>	“Renee! Who’s your special guest this time?” It was a man yelling to her with a smile on his face. The girl had a similar expression on hers.</p><p> </p><p>	“Matt, this is my friend Neil. Neil, this is my boss Matt Boyd.”</p><p> </p><p>	Neil’s eyes widened a bit as he realized that this must’ve been the owner of the gym. Matt was tall with a strong build, and his black hair was tousled and sweaty from whatever workout he was just doing. When the larger of the two reached out a hand, Neil hesitantly took it with a small smile.</p><p> </p><p>	“Damn, Renee. This kid’s got a death grip!” Matt said with a barking laugh.</p><p> </p><p>	Neil quickly took his hand away and let out a small chuckle, taking in the surrounding area of the large gym.</p><p> </p><p>	“So,” Neil said. “Is this family owned, or straight from you?”</p><p> </p><p>	His question only made Matt’s grin even larger. “All mine! Been going pretty strong for these past few years.”</p><p> </p><p>	He nodded in response and Renee gently tapped his arm and motioned for him to come with her. She waved an enthusiastic hand at Matt and walked toward the back areas of the gym.</p><p> </p><p>	There was already a boy near one of the punching bags that lined a portion of the wall and he was in the middle of wrapping his hand to protect it. To Neil, he looked vaguely familiar. He had bright blonde hair and threatening amber eyes, which were the only things readable on his expressionlessly blank face. Black armbands covered his arms and his fingers on one hand worked quickly along the fabric that he was wrapping around the other. </p><p> </p><p>	At the same moment that Neil realized that he was staring for a bit too long, the blonde looked up at him and they locked eyes. After a couple seconds, Neil turned away and asked Renee what she was going to be doing. All she said was the name of Andrew and threw a lazy pointer finger to the boy that was by the punching bags.</p><p> </p><p>	Andrew. He’d have to remember that.</p><p> </p><p>	He allowed Renee to get started with her work and glanced around the gym. Neil started with some simple stretches to get his body ready for the day. After he was stretched out and ran on a treadmill for about 15 minutes, Neil went into a smaller room that had weights. Glancing around at his options, he finally settled on bench-pressing. Without a spotter, he’d have to be a bit more careful, but he’d taken the collars off just in case something would happen.</p><p> </p><p>	Debating the chances of someone walking in, and what their reaction would be, and the aftermath, Neil finally decided that he’d just take off his sweaty shirt rather than suffering in it. His chest and the mess that covered it was on full display for anyone to see, but since only three other people were in the gym, he thought it was okay. Big mistake.</p><p> </p><p>	With pretty heavy weights, Neil got through two sets of six presses. And that’s when it happened. He was breathing heavily and sat up to take a break when he noticed him standing in the doorway. Andrew. </p><p> </p><p>	His brain went into panic mode and he began sputtering. “Wait, what- Andrew? How long have you- What?”</p><p> </p><p>	Andrew’s eyes shifted when Neil said his name, but other from that his face stayed blank. Once he was done with his confused nonsense, Andrew walked over to stand in front of the bench where Neil was sitting. He was staring at Neil’s face, but it was like really staring. His eyes raked over his body, quickly down but slow on the way back up. Neil would usually feel self-conscious, but Andrew’s gaze wasn’t judgmental. Just interested and curious. He was still trying to get his breathing back to normal when Andrew spoke.</p><p> </p><p>	“Five minutes.”</p><p> </p><p>	Then the boy turned and left, only to come back a minute later with a large shirt and then left again. Neil decided that he was done for the day.</p><p> </p><p>	Picking up the shirt gratefully, he slipped it on over his head and walked back out to the main part of the gym. Renee and Andrew were standing on some mats, sparring with each other. Neil walked over to the wall where Renee had put his jacket and water along with her belongings. He slipped on his jacket and leaned against the wall to watch. Renee was good and had quick reflexes, but Andrew was faster. It was entertaining to see how long they could go for, but Neil’s legs were starting to get sore. Between their sets, he walked over to Renee and gently touched her arm.</p><p> </p><p>	“I’m gonna call an Uber and go home now, okay? I can text you when I get home if you want,” Neil announced.</p><p> </p><p>	“Awe, okay Neil-o. Text me,” she allowed with a smile. “Also, I might be going out to dinner with a few people in case you wanted to tag along. I’ll keep you updated.”</p><p> </p><p>	Neil gave her a thumbs up and began walking backwards toward the door. When he caught Andrew staring at the shirt he was wearing, a smirk appeared on Neil’s lips and he gave the blonde a two-fingered salute.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Renee makes Neil pick out an outfit for tonight. She drags him out to dinner with herself and a few friends, but Neil unfortunately forgot to ask just who exactly those friends were.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay what hi I hope this isn't annoying (??) but thank you for last chapter I honestly didn't expect it to get noticed at all so I'm very happy for that! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Just as Neil assumed, Renee wanted him to go to dinner with her. She said that it was a normal restaurant so he didn’t need to dress nice or anything, but she still wanted him to look nice for whatever reason. Somewhere behind her strange reasoning she convinced Neil to let her come over beforehand to pick out an outfit for him. He had begrudgingly agreed, but he was regretting it now that she had laid out multiple outfits for him to put on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	He had showered as soon as he had gotten home and Renee got off of work about four hours afterwards. She had showered quickly and gotten dressed in a cute outfit; a black and white striped shirt under a jean-jacket and leggings paired with white high-top converse. Her platinum blonde hair is messily tied half-up into a bun and the pastel colors at the bottom brush her chin when her head turns.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Although her outfit was simple, she had picked out more complex ones for Neil. After a bit of debating, she laid out three options, each of them with a seemingly different style. The first one that was laid out was a black short-sleeved shirt with a white turtleneck under it along with a pair of lighter jeans, with this Renee said he could also wear his college varsity jacket. The next one was a brown turtleneck that hung loosely on him but the tan and brown plaid-patterned dress pants that were set out with the shirt seemed appealing. The final outfit had a tight long-sleeved shirt in a shade of very dark gray along with a pair of black cargo pants and a black windbreaker.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Staring at all of the outfits, Neil really debated. None of them really seemed like they would fit his style, but after trying them all on he ended up liking the turtleneck and dress pants the best. Of course, Renee insisted that she had to style his hair and he even allowed her to do some makeup. She ran her fingers through his thick auburn curls and made sure that they looked good with the product that she put in. A couple months back, she had dragged him into Sephora and bought him some thin foundation, concealer, brow filler, a palette for contour, a nude eyeshadow, and clear mascara. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Once she was done with everything, she made him look in the mirror and make sure everything was okay. While he was adjusting a piece of his hair, Renee came up from behind him and clipped a couple thick chains around his neck. Neil’s reflection smiled at her in the mirror and she grinned back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	If Neil was being honest with himself, he felt -- and looked -- really good. This was the first time in a while that he’s gone out to do something semi-nice and he really appreciated it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Renee checked the time and realized that it’d be okay for them to leave, even if they’d be a couple minutes earlier than everyone else. And that’s what Neil had forgotten about. He didn’t even know who else would be at this dinner. He’d forgotten to ask and Renee didn’t say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	“Um, Renee. I forgot to ask you but who else is going to be here? Not that it matters I’m just curious,” Neil questioned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	She didn’t respond but rather stared at him with a shit-eating grin. That’s another thing. Renee doesn’t usually look intimidating, but when she smiles like that, you know something’s up. When he first met Renee, she was the sweetest person he knew and could never picture her killing even a fly. Eventually, senior year roughened her up when Neil was out of town and he doesn’t think that he heard the full story.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	When they finally pulled up to the restaurant, Renee pulled out her phone and began texting someone with a smile on her face. Neil tried to look at who it was, but she quickly pulled it away and gave him a discouraging look. He backed off and glanced out the window. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>	That’s when the regret hit. Neil saw one of Renee’s old friends walking over to their car and with a goofy smile on his face. Nicky Hemmick. Great.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Once Renee noticed that he was standing at the driver’s side door, she opened it and stepped out while motioning for Neil to do the same. With a sigh of confused frustration, he hesitantly got out of her car and entered the chilly air. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Nicky was close friends with Renee’s girlfriend, Allison, so the two of them drove together. Nicky was wearing a deep green sweater along with some light-washed jeans and Allison had on a tight black dress along with some torn fishnets underneath. Everyone looked nice and compared to the other customers, Neil felt overdressed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	The waitress that was standing at her place smiled at them and asked who the table was for. When Nicky said his own name, the lady’s face lit up and informed them that people were already here waiting for them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Neil swiveled his body around to stare at Renee, but she didn’t notice due to the fact that Allison was distracting her. Annoyed that he wasn’t sure of who else was going to be waiting, Neil let out a huff of breath and began to follow the waitress to their table. He couldn’t even think of who else Renee was close with, but he wasn’t familiar with Nicky and Allison’s friends. Maybe it was Matt? No, Renee doesn’t really hang out with him too much out of work. But maybe Allison? No that wouldn’t make-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	What the hell.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> 	There he was. That fucking guy. Of course it was him, but two of him? And a girl? Nothing was making sense. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>	“Andrew! Awe, Aaron look at you and Katelyn, how adorable,” Nicky said with an admirable sigh. “Oh! Neil, this is Andrew, Aaron, and Katelyn. The boys are twins, obviously, and Katelyn is Aaron’s girlfriend.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Well, that explains it a bit more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Bathroom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Andrew has Neil follow him to the bathroom, but it goes a bit downhill.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From one end to the other, it’s Aaron, Katelyn, Nicky, Allison, Renee, Andrew, and then Neil. He had somehow gotten both lucky and unlucky enough to be on the end seat (thankfully) but also next to Andrew. He was so close to Neil that it made him uncomfortable. There was so much more room in between himself and Renee that Andrew could scoot into, but he stayed put right next to Neil.</p><p> </p><p>When the waitress came back to ask for their drink and appetizer orders, they all got their beverage of choice and some chips with salsa. Once she had left to get their drinks, Neil took note of the intense stare that Andrew was giving the side of his face.</p><p> </p><p>If he was being honest, it freaked him out a bit how much Andrew stared. He didn’t care whether or not the person noticed, he would just keep looking. His straight-faced blankness was too difficult to read and keeping eye contact with him was far too intimidating.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout most of the dinner, Andrew would stare for minutes at a time only to then shake his head and look back away. Neil would sometimes steal sideways glances at the blonde when he wasn’t paying attention, but those moments would rarely come since Andrew wasn’t participating in any of the conversations. That factor paired with the fact that Neil was seated on the other side of him also meant that Neil wasn’t quite able to interact with anyone unless he raised his voice, which wasn’t going to happen.</p><p> </p><p>Towards the end of everyone’s meals, Neil and Andrew were both already finished with their own food. The blonde signaled for the other to stand so he could get out of their booth. As Neil stepped forward to sit back down, Andrew tapped his wrist and motioned for him to follow to the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>“Damn, Andrew, you could at least wait until the second date,” Neil muttered with a slight smile when they walked into the pale-yellow painted room.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up,” he replied, but with an opposing straight face. He had an admirable spark in his eyes when he asked, “How do you know Renee?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm, college. Junior year,” he recalled with a hum. “She basically bullied me into hanging out with her. You?”</p><p> </p><p>“You already saw at the gym, Renee trains with me. We met through my twin’s girlfriend. They’re kinda close.”</p><p> </p><p>Neil stepped back and leaned against the counter that held multiple sinks along its glossy marble top, accidentally turning one on the process. Its icy stream sprayed all over Neil’s back and part of his pants.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit,” he cursed through clenched teeth.</p><p> </p><p>He heard a snort from across the small room and his head snapped up at the sound in disbelief. Andrew’s body was silently shaking from contained laughter and it took him a few seconds to regain his composure and straighten up again. Once his normal expression was back, he snapped his gaze toward Neil's slacken jaw and allowed it to drift down over his soaked clothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Seems like someone got a bit wet from being with me, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus, Andrew, fuck off,” Neil replied in an annoyed state. “Make yourself useful and help me dry this shit, would you?”</p><p> </p><p>“How? You’re literally dripping water from everywhere. Just accept your fate that you have to freeze and get it over with.”</p><p> </p><p>The less fortunate of the two turned himself around toward the mirrors that were lined along the wall above the sinks and let out a frustrated sigh as he checked his backside. It was mainly his lower back that was soaked through, but it also got a good portion of his pants where they were a bit snug.</p><p> </p><p>Propping his arms up on the countertop, Neil dropped his head onto his forearms with a sigh. What was he going to do? He could either just walk back out like this, wait it out in the bathroom, try to fix it, or have somebody run all the way back home just to get him a change of clothes. Honestly, none of those options seemed great to Neil but he had to do something. </p><p> </p><p>Deep into his thoughts, Neil didn’t realize at first when Andrew had taken off his jacket and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him around so they were face to face. With an unimpressed look, Andrew lifted his arms higher up above Neil’s head and wrapped the thick, leather material around the taller boy’s frame.</p><p> </p><p>“Andrew, you really don’t have to,” he sighed, taking in the remaining heat from the other’s jacket. Neil wrapped it closer around himself and lifted his own gaze up to the blonde’s that was awaiting him. “Or, I mean, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>The two just stared at each other for a couple moments, their eye colors similar to that of ice and sunshine. Then Andrew stepped forward and reached for the handle, tapping Neil’s shoulder along the way. He yanked the weighted wood towards him and stepped out of the small room, leaving Neil to his thoughts.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh my gosh I'm so sorry this chapter is really short and honestly not that good at all. I'll try to get the next ones with more content in them if possible :) thank you for reading and I'd love to hear any feedback!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Drive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Neil and Andrew are forced into an unfortunate situation after an incident with Renee.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It became a regular thing for Neil to go to the gym with Renee when it was just the small group in the building. Matt had his alone time and did most of his stuff at the front of the area. Renee and Andrew mostly stayed toward the back so they could use the punching bags as well as the mats that were designated for sparring.</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes Neil would step out of the small weights room to watch the way that their bodies moved, constantly pushing each other to do better, to be quicker. But then there were the other times. Neil expected that Andrew walking in would be a one-time thing, but that was proven to be false. </p><p> </p><p>About a week after their restaurant issue, Neil had been doing some simple stuff with dumbbells when he looked up at one of the mirrors that were along the walls, revealing Andrew standing in the doorway. He scrambled to cover his exposed chest with his shirt that was left discarded halfway across the room. When Andrew noticed that he was -- embarrassed? ashamed? -- whatever he felt, he impatiently flicked his fingers and turned on his heel to leave, but not before picking up the gray shirt that was laying on the ground between them. That only left Neil staring at the now-empty doorway, wheezing out exhausted breaths.</p><p> </p><p>He had continued with what he was doing and eventually decided to take a break. What Neil had planned to do was drink some water, watch Renee and Andrew until they were finished, maybe help Matt if he needed anything, and then go home. What actually happened was different.</p><p> </p><p>While Neil was sitting on a bench, Andrew had walked in and placed a navy blue t-shirt down next to the other boy. He glanced up just in time to see his platinum hair flash out of the door. Weird. </p><p> </p><p>Without question, he picked it up to lift it over his head and tugged it down over his rugged chest. Smoothing it down to make sure that no scars were visible, he stood up and gathered the water bottle he had brought in, as well as his phone. </p><p> </p><p>Neil had then walked out to the main part of the large complex to find that Andrew was alone leaning against the back wall where there were lockers and racks for people’s belongings to be kept. Renee’s small compartment was empty and Matt was nowhere in sight. After glancing around a bit, Neil let out a small sigh and trekked over toward where the shorter guy was positioned.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did everyone go?” Neil questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“They left,” he replied, simply. “Renee got sick and Matt didn’t want her driving home like that.”</p><p> </p><p>Neil hummed in response, but then the information settled in. “Oh, shit.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I just- Renee drove me here and now she’s gone. I guess I need to walk home.”</p><p> </p><p>“Just call and Uber, dumbass. You’ve got your wallet.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have cash in it and I don’t bring my card here.”</p><p> </p><p>Andrew gave an angry groan. He was going to regret this. “Fine, just ride with me then.”</p><p> </p><p>Neil’s face lifted up from where it was searching on his phone, hope evident in the brilliant blue. “You’re offering?”</p><p> </p><p>He just shrugged and swirled his keys around his index finger, walking towards the door to exit into the dark. Andrew didn’t look back to see if the other was following, but he could hear the gentle footsteps of how delicately Neil carried himself.</p><p> </p><p>Once outside, a button was pressed on the expensive keyring and a sleek, black car with heavily tinted windows lit up. Andrew started for the driver’s side door.</p><p> </p><p>“Wh- dude is this yours?” Neil exclaimed. Who would’ve thought that someone like Andrew would have such a nice car.</p><p> </p><p>“Yup,” he said, leaning against the roof of the car. “Aston Martin. Vantage.”</p><p> </p><p>Where did he get all that money from? Maybe the car was stolen, but he wouldn’t have offered if he was going to drive a car that he stole.</p><p> </p><p>Neil shook off the feeling and opened the door of the luxurious car. The interior was gorgeous, black leather with delicate red trim and stitching. The roof had to have been custom-made since it didn’t fit the brand. If he looked up, there was what looked to be a bunch of miniature stars, similar to what was inside of a Rolls Royce.</p><p> </p><p>Once he was finished gawking over the beauty that was called a car, Neil’s eyes drifted over to Andrew’s figure. He was leaning back in his seat, angled towards the newcomer and studying him with a smirk. Neil felt trapped under his stare, as if a spell was put on his so he couldn’t move. Then Andrew let out a breathy chuckle and let his hand absentmindedly rake through his thick locks of golden hair, letting them lazily fall onto his forehead. He dragged his hands down his face and got refocused.</p><p> </p><p>Connecting his phone to the radio, Andrew picked out a playlist and put it on shuffle. He stole a quick glance at Neil and saw that he looked content and excited for the drive, almost like a small puppy. Almost.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, puppy boy. Where am I taking you?” he mused.</p><p> </p><p>Neil looked to him with wide, confused eyes before they turned icy again. “What do you- Oh, whatever. Just drive around and I’ll tell you.”</p><p> </p><p>He allowed that answer and put his vehicle in reverse, pulling out of the lot. Andrew drove with his left hand strewn onto the wheel and the other holding the gear shift. Driving had a sort of therapeutic effect on Andrew and he was able to do and go wherever he wanted on the road. His mind began to drift somewhere far off and he nearly rear-ended the person in front of them when they were stopped at a red light.</p><p> </p><p>Neil shot him a nasty glare, but the driver ignored it in favor of picking up his phone and skipping a couple songs until he reached one that he liked. A few directions to turn and certain street names were mumbled from across the car and Andrew made sure to remember it. The names of the streets weren’t anything new, he knew this area by heart. Of course they would sound familiar, but the final one seemed a bit too familiar.</p><p> </p><p>Andrew turned to ask Neil what building that he should be looking for, but the boy’s bright eyes were closed, his dark lashes lain comfortably near his heavy eyebags. How the hell did he fall asleep that quickly? He’d only been driving for nearly 15 minutes. Waking him up doesn’t seem like the best choice since Andrew knows that himself would react violently, especially since they’re unfamiliar. </p><p> </p><p>After a lot of thinking, Andrew decided that he’d just bring the sleeping boy into his apartment and they’d figure everything out in the morning. Should he put Neil on the couch or should he just take it? What if Neil ends up waking in the middle of the night and gets mad? No, he doesn’t seem the type that would get angry about this sort of thing. Unless he would. Fuck, Andrew barely knew him and yet he was going to let him into his room.</p><p> </p><p>After his internal conflict and five more minutes of driving, Andrew parked his car and gathered everything that he’d need for the night. He opened the passenger-side door and stood there for a minute, thinking. How should he pick him up? Is there really a right way to do it? In the end, he decided to say fuck it and slung half of his body over his shoulder. It was a bit awkward since Neil was taller than he was, but Andrew had the muscles to make up for it. </p><p> </p><p>Once he unlocked his apartment, he took Neil back to his bedroom and laid him down under the sheets and covered him up. Andrew grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed and made his trek out to the living room so he could get comfortable on the sofa.</p><p> </p><p>It took some tossing and turning, but eventually Andrew fell into a deep sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi! Hopefully this chapter is a bit better :) I hope that you all enjoy this and have a wonderful day/night</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Did You?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Neil has an unfortunate sleep and Andrew is left to deal with it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andrew was awoken by the sound of yelling and incoherent shouts that were turning into screams.</p><p> </p><p>The sound was enough to wake him, and he bolted upright from the couch and into action immediately. Despite his better judgement to think everything through, he slammed his own bedroom door open to show that the boy he brought home was sleeping.</p><p> </p><p>Except he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Neil was thrashing around, twisted in the sheets that Andrew had so gently wrapped around him so he wouldn’t be woken by his touch. Sweat was visible on the surface of his skin, yet his shaking tremors seemed to continue on, relentless. But his screams, they were painful just to hear them tearing from his throat. Just like a million daggers ripping themselves from the inside of his body and out. His hands lifted up towards his face and arms to leave bright pink marks where his nails dug in.</p><p> </p><p>Andrew wasn’t sure what to do, so he just did what he had done with others in the past. He carefully lowered himself down onto the mattress next to the pained boy and tenderly yet tightly gripped his wrists and brought them down to his side so Neil wouldn’t hurt himself any further. Hesitantly, Andrew brought his own hand up and wrapped it gently around the back of Neil’s neck. He began to rub small circles into the soft skin with his thumb and whispered reassurances in hopes to calm him down. This was something that one of his semi-decent temporary mothers did when he would have a bad nightmare or panic attack. After a while, though, he began to hate the touch and would lash out if she attempted to help him at all.</p><p> </p><p>Neil’s breathing had begun to slow back down to a healthy pace and Andrew removed his hand. Staring hard at the other’s closed eyes, the blonde wasn’t sure if he wanted Neil to wake up right now or not. How would he explain the whole situation? How Neil had fallen asleep in his car and the only responsible thing Andrew thought to do was to bring him into his home and give him free reign without question.</p><p> </p><p>In the end, Andrew got up without a word and walked to the kitchen quietly. His tiny kitten came bounding in from the living room from where it was napping. The small animal began meowing loudly for food and Andrew quickly got annoyed.</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus, King. Can you not be a fatass for once? You’re more than capable of waiting five minutes for food,” he sighed out. As he turned around to grab cat food from the cupboard, Andrew caught sight of Neil standing in the doorway and sarcastically said, “Good morning sleeping beauty.”</p><p> </p><p>Neil rolled his eyes and gestured toward the cat that was now circling Andrew’s legs. “His name is King?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup.”</p><p> </p><p>“King what?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean, King what? His name is just King.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, he has to be king of something, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, he doesn’t.” Andrew turned on his heel and cracked open the container of food for his furry companion. He dumped it into a bowl and placed it on the ground so the cat could easily access it.</p><p> </p><p>Neil hummed. “Okay, well I have an idea then. His name is King Fluffkins.”</p><p> </p><p>“What? No.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I said so and now you have to.” Neil was stubborn.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not doing this,” Andrew mumbled, rubbing his hands over his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, well just let King Fluffkins decide for himself then.”</p><p> </p><p>“How in the hell would that even work?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just let him walk over to whoever he wants, and then he’ll get that name.”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde boy snorted. “Tch, yeah. Okay. It’s totally not like I’ve been the one living with the cat.”</p><p> </p><p>Neil just shrugged and turned away, walking towards the living room. All of Andrew’s stuff from last night was still on the couch, but it was mainly just a bunch of blankets and a few pillows. </p><p> </p><p>“Um, Andrew,” the other called.</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck do you want now?” he shouted back, starting to tread over to where he stayed last night. Neil was sitting on the sofa and he looked really small, smaller than usual.</p><p> </p><p>When he brought his gaze up to Andrew’s face, his expression was cold and yet his eyes were full of misplaced remorse and fear. “I- You didn’t do any- I’m-” he took a deep, shuddering  breath. “Um, not that I think you would, but I just don’t exactly-”</p><p> </p><p>It took Andrew a moment, but he understood what Neil was getting at. Something heavy settled in his chest, but he brushed the thought away.</p><p> </p><p>“Neil, look. No I did not do anything to you last night. I’m not the kind of person to do that. I was driving you home and you fell asleep in my car. You weren’t exactly clear with where you lived so I just brought you back here. I didn’t do anything funny to you and I’m not planning to.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy sitting on the couch let out a deep sigh and melted back into the couch cushions. He shut his eyes for a few seconds then opened them back up, this time they were brighter.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you. And, sorry, for assuming things. I’m just not used to people really having good intentions set in their minds,” he said it lightly, but there was an underlying tenseness to his tone.</p><p> </p><p>Andrew nodded and decided to end the conversation there. </p><p> </p><p>“So, what’s for breakfast? Also, get the cat. I need to prove to you that cats love me and that King Fluffkins is a superior name.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for not posting for a bit! School has been kicking my ass but I swear I'm trying to get stuff out :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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